Trimming the Tree (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
by ilna
Summary: Catherine and Steve put up their Christmas tree, savoring old memories and making new ones.


**Notes:** Mari and Sammy – Thank you both for the ornament help and Cammie-checks :-). Special thanks to Sammy for switching with me when my week went sideways.

Readers and REAL McRollers – We're so excited to be kicking off another December with you all! There's so much to come. Thank you for your wonderful support of the REAL World!

 **Hope you enjoy!**

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 _Trimming the Tree (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)_

"You sure it isn't too early to be doing this?" Steve asked as he carried the last box of lights into the living room and set them down by the other Christmas tree trimmings.

"Not really," Catherine replied from her spot on the ground where she was putting the base of their nine foot artificial tree together as Cammie watched eagerly. "It's the first weekend in December."

He nodded in acknowledgement and shrugged. "Guess it's just early for us."

She laughed. "And we have such a long track record of putting up a Christmas tree."

"Hey, we're going on three years in a row. Four if you count that little tabletop tree the first year."

"I don't know if that counts, particularly since it was at the last minute." She smiled. "But three years in a row for us with anything is a rarity."

"Getting less rare," he observed, his eyes going soft.

She smiled tenderly. "Yeah."

He leaned down, kissing her slowly. When they parted, he smiled and asked, "What do you need me to do?"

She looked at the base in front of her, then at the various sections of the tree laid out on the floor. "Grab the bottom part of the pole so we can fit it in here and start adding the branches."

As they worked slotting branches into place, Catherine looked across at him and squinted suspiciously. "That whole thing about it being too early … that wasn't you setting up an excuse, was it? You do have your new ornament ready, right?"

Steve snapped to attention. "Yes, ma'am." He grinned at her. "Orders were to have it by December 1st."

She laughed. "At ease, sailor."

"It was my idea, after all," he pointed out, relaxing his posture. "Adding new ornaments every year."

"Mmhmm," she agreed. "But it was my idea this year to each pick out a new one for the tree and surprise each other."

"Yep, and mine is gonna blow you away."

"You sound very sure of yourself, Commander."

"I am," he said confidently.

She smiled knowingly. "We'll see who blows who away."

"Yes, we will."

Once they had put all the branches into place and shaped to their satisfaction, they began stringing the lights on the tree. Working together, they passed the strands around and around until they could not longer reach.

Catherine brought over a stepstool as Steve waited, holding the current strand of lights. She positioned it and climbed to the top, preparing to take the strand from Steve and continue wrapping around the narrower top of the tree.

Cammie began to whine, pacing in front of the stool.

"What is it, pretty girl? Do you need to go out?" Catherine asked.

Rather than move toward the back door as she normally would have done, Cammie continued to whine, planting herself in front of the stepstool and raising a paw toward Catherine's leg.

"I don't think she wants you up there," Steve said, suddenly understanding.

"Cammie, I'm fine," Catherine insisted, but the concerned dog continued to whine worriedly. Sighing, Catherine looked over at Steve who pressed his lips tightly together, his eyes alight with mirth. Shaking her head finally, she said, "Okay, okay, you win."

She began climbing down the stepstool, and Cammie moved back to allow her room, keeping her eyes trained on Catherine the entire time.

Steve took her place on the stepstool. "I want it on record that this was at Cammie's insistence, not mine."

"Duly noted," Catherine said and chuckled with amusement.

"Reminds me of that time you got the flu so bad, but you were still trying to get dressed for work. Cammie came down to let me know."

"Did she?" Catherine asked, surprised.

"Yeah, I never told you that?" he said, carefully wrapping the strand around the tree.

"You might have, a lot of that time is a little hazy," she admitted with a wince. "I do remember Cammie trying to block the door so I couldn't leave later that morning." She leaned down to kiss the dog's nose and rub her cheeks. "You're always taking care of me, aren't you, pretty girl?"

Cammie kissed her back, her tail wagging happily now that Catherine was safely on the ground.

Steve finished with the lights and stepped down, moving back by Catherine so they could check the positioning of all the white, twinkling bulbs. They made a few adjustments, which included another trip up the stepstool for Steve, before they were satisfied with the lights.

They looked at each other and exchanged a smile. "Ornaments?" he asked.

"Ornaments."

Steve moved the large box of ornaments to the coffee table so they could more easily reach inside. Opening the box, he motioned to Catherine. "Go ahead, Rollins."

She smiled, quickly scanning the box for what she wanted. She took out a box and opened it, carefully removing the gold ball with a red and green plaid stripe around the middle.

"If we're going on three years in a row, I think we should keep hanging this one first," she said, handing him the "Dad" ornament that John McGarrett had kept despite the fact that it was broken in the back.

Steve smiled softly, taking the ornament and placing it carefully on the tree.

Catherine stepped up beside him, holding an ornament of Victorian carolers given to her by Aunt Louise when she was a child after a special outing the two of them had. She hung the carolers close to John's special ornament.

Steve put his arm around her and they stood quietly for a moment, reflecting on the two mementos and the people they represented.

With a squeeze of her shoulder, Steve released her and they turned back to the box for more ornaments.

"Still unbreakable," Catherine said, delicately holding the red and silver glass ball given to them by Nonna on their Christmas in New Jersey.

"It's not the only thing," Steve said quietly, his gaze soft as he watched her hang it on the tree.

They continued hanging ornaments, many childhood treasures saved by their parents, in Catherine's case with full knowledge while Steve had had no idea his father had kept so many. There were more recent additions as well. Handmade treasures from Joan, Jacob, and Kaitlyn; the dog ornament that looked so much like Cammie Steve had found two years ago; and the ornaments they had picked out last year.

"I still can't believe we got this one," Steve said, shaking his head at the bingo card ornament.

Catherine smiled brightly. "It reminds me of Grandma Ang," she said. Her eyes twinkled. "And it commemorates your big win last year."

Steve chuckled in response, and as she hung it on the tree, he took out their other new one from last year. They had taken the blueprint for the new deck and had it shrunken down to fit on a flat white circular ornament with the year printed beneath.

He handed it to Catherine to hang.

"Now this guy needs a prime spot," he said, picking up one of the last ornaments from the box and grinning. "Your favorite sailor."

Catherine smiled as she took the wooden Donald Duck she'd had for years, giving the string at its base a couple tugs so its legs and arms would move. Steve's eyes softened as he watched her, imagining another pair of hands one day tugging that same string. When she looked up at him, her smile showed she was thinking the exact same thing.

Reaching down for the last ornament box, Steve removed the small baby carriage with a tiny head poking out of the blanket, "Baby's First Christmas 1978" embroidered on it.

He stared at it a moment. "Next time we do this …" he said quietly.

She smiled softly, placing her hand on his holding the ornament and squeezing gently.

He looked at her and her smile grew teasing.

"Are you gonna start doing that now with the baby?" she asked.

The corner of his lip twitched. "Maybe."

"Then you missed one," she pointed out. "Next Thanksgiving …"

"Actually missed two," he countered with a grin. "Next Halloween …"

She laughed warmly in response before growing more serious. "Do you realize it was just two years ago we started talking about 'someday'?" She drew his free hand to her stomach. "And now here we are."

"Here we are," he said, his voice reverent as he stared at the spot beneath their fingers.

Exhaling slowly, he leaned over and kissed her forehead. Her eyes closed at the touch of his lips, a soft smile on her face.

Together they hung the cartoon sailor and the carriage that marked Catherine's first Christmas.

"Ready for the new ones?" Steve asked.

Catherine smiled broadly. "Definitely."

They both went to retrieve their packages from their individual hiding places.

"Prepare to be amazed, Rollins," he said, proudly holding out the box to her.

"Back at you, McGarrett," she replied, trading with him.

His brow furrowed as he looked at the familiar box she handed him. "This looks like …"

"Open it," she insisted.

He nodded to the box in her hand. "You first."

She shook her head with a smile, but opened the box in her hand.

"Oh, Steve," she said, carefully removing the delicate glass ball half-filled with sand. She looked up at him. "I don't even have to ask, do I?"

He smiled softly. "It's from our spot."

She held up the simple ball, free from any other ornamentation, letting the lights from the tree reflect off the glass. "It's perfect." Nodding the box in his hand, she said, "Your turn."

He held his breath as he opened the black hinged box that had, until recently, rested on Catherine's dresser in their bedroom. Inside was a very familiar compass, now fitted with a hook so that it could hang on the tree.

He lifted it carefully, reading the words he'd had engraved the previous year to give to her: _My True North_.

"I thought this should go on our tree," she said. "After Christmas we can put it back in our bedroom … where it belongs."

Steve gazed at the compass, memories of their first Christmas when she'd gifted it to him and the previous year when he'd done the same.

"Okay, you win," he said quietly.

Catherine's tone matched his, and she had tears in her eyes as she replied, "I was gonna say the same thing."

They moved closer and, careful of the beautiful ornaments in their hands, shared a slow, heartfelt kiss.

Pulling back after a long moment, he nodded toward the tree. "Let's put these where they belong."

After carefully hanging the compass and the glass ball, they stepped back to admire the tree.

Steve shifted behind Catherine so he could wrap both arms around her. She leaned back against him, placing her hands on his.

He took a slow breath, his cheek pressed to her temple. "We've come a long way since drawing a tree on the foggy bathroom mirror."

Silence descended as they stared at their Christmas tree. A tree filled with memories old and new. Adorned with special symbols of their love and life together. Reminders of the people they loved.

A tree that held the promises of everything still to come.

Her fingers tightened around his against her abdomen, both supremely conscious of the new life growing within her.

"We certainly have."

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 **Hope you enjoyed!**

 **Note:** More details on many of the ornaments can be found in the story _'Tis the Season_ , and the original compass story is _True North_.

 _Keep track of all the REAL World stories on our Tumblr page - mcrollintherealworld dot tumblr dot com_

 _You can still join our mailing list by emailing us realmcroll at yahoo dot com with Add me, please! in the subject line._

 _And find Mari on Twitter asking your opinions on all things McRoll in the REAL World! at Mari21763 and add #REALMcRoller_


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